Somebody To Die For
by ICraveYou
Summary: No one notices that something's wrong about Stefan. No one except for Caroline. When Silas realizes that she might be closer to the truth than he would have expected, closer to finding out what happened to the real Stefan, he decides that he needs to convince her of being Stefan... And that means that he'll have to get a lot closer to Caroline... / STEROLINE.
1. The Night Before College

This is my very first Stefan/Caroline fanfiction. I have not written a longer story for TVD before, except a OneShot. This I am writing especially for my best friend UnbrokenDreams - she was the one who gave me the idea. This is set a few weeks after the Season 4 finale, just before Caroline and Elena go to College. I might add some things that will happen in Season 5 to the Fic, but I'm not sure yet.

It might take me 1-2 weeks to update, so please be patient.

**Summary:**  
No one is aware of the fact that it is Silas pretending to be Stefan and that Stefan isn't actually there. No one even notices that something about his is off - Silas plays his part that good, yet at the same time he plans to take over Mystic Falls and take revenge on the ones who have tried to destroy him. He doesn't want to fulfill his old plans anymore. Being in his true body again is simply too much fun. So why not setting the goals a little higher? It's only Caroline who slowly notices that Stefan isn't acting like himself lately. When Silas realizes that she might be closer to the truth than he would have expected, he decides that he has to convince her that he really is Stefan...**  
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**Chapter 1 » The Night Before College  
**"College is going to be _so much _fun. You'll see, it's going to be amazing! I can't wait until we get there, actually. Although it's a shame that Bonnie won't attend college. I have tried to call her so many times these past few weeks but it seems like she's busy all the time. Is she still with her aunt? Jeremy is supposedly the only one she's even talking to. That's what you get for being a best friend. Your BFF will ignore you as soon as she's back together with her boyfriend."

Of course Caroline wasn't really mad at Bonnie – she felt happy for her best friend. After everything she had had to go through these past few months, she deserved to be with Jeremy again. And Jeremy himself deserved it, too. After all, he'd died and Bonnie had brought him back to life. If it wasn't for her, he wouldn't even be here. Still Caroline wished that Bonnie would get in touch more. But she was sure that Elena and her would see Bonnie again soon.

For now, they had their own adventures to face. Tomorrow would be their first day of College. Caroline was so excited about going to College. For the first time in her life, she felt that everything was alright for once. There was no Big Bad they had to kill, Klaus and his family had left Mystic Falls... Tyler was still away. Caroline had called him a dozen times, telling him that Klaus had left, that he was not looking for him anymore. That he could come back.

He had not come back yet. Caroline felt herself being more hopeless from day to day, but she still tried to be optimistic. She didn't know where Tyler even was. Maybe he would be back soon. If Tyler was here, things would not just be alright. They would be _perfect_.

"Do you know that I have caught Matt having a _threesome _with _Rebekah and April _the other day? I still feel like I'll have to burn my eyes out! He told me that they were just having fun and that they did it to, uh, celebrate Rebekah's goodbye party. Because she moved to New Orleans as well. But... this is so _gross_. How could Matt do that?"

"I'm not sure I want to imagine _that_, Caroline." Elena said, shuddering.

"But I am sure College is going to be awesome. Although I'm a little afraid that we... well... that we'll have problems fitting in."

"Problems fitting in? Don't be silly, Elena. Like I said, it's going to be amazing. Okay, we can't just run around eating people, but we'll manage."

"And..." Elena continued, looking away from Caroline. "I'll miss Damon."

For a moment, Caroline only stared at her best friend, before shaking her head. "Ugh. You know, I would rather watch Matt having hundreds of threesomes than imagining you being in bed with Damon."

"Caroline!" Elena took one of her shirts out of the suitcase she had been packing and threw it at Caroline who caught it in the air. "I don't even want you imagining me... well, you know what I mean."

"I still don't understand how you could have chosen Damon. I know that you don't want me to talk about it and I understand that it's your decision and that I can't try to talk you into anything. But still. Damon isn't right for you, Elena. I think that he'll only hurt you eventually. Stefan and you... You two are _perfect _together. He'd do anything for you. He even wanted to leave town because he couldn't stand to see you being with Damon. I'm glad that Stefan came back, though. One shouldn't just leave their home because one is lovesick. Mystic Falls is his home. He belongs here."

Elena stared into nothingness for a long moment, before taking a deep breath and saying, "I never wanted to hurt Stefan. I wouldn't even thought myself that... that my feelings for Damon could ever be this strong that I actually want to be with him more than I want to be with Stefan. But things have changed. And right now, being with Damon is right for me. It's what I want. And you should be happy for me because you're my best friend."

Caroline looked at Elena before sighing. "That's so mean, playing that best friend card! Of course I'm happy for you. But I'm worried as well." Shaking her head, she went over to Elena to hug her close to her chest. "I'll go now. I still have to pack some things and mum wants to spend the night with me. We're gonna watch some movies. And I guess that you'll want to spend the night with Damon."

Suppressing another _ugh_, Caroline told Elena that she would see her in the morning before leaving her – or rather Damon's – room. She was at the Salvatore boarding house. Ever since the Gilbert house had burned down, Elena had been living here. Caroline could only imagine how weird that situation must be for Stefan. He had to bear with seeing Elena and Damon together all the time now.

When she went down the stairs, she noticed Stefan standing in the living room, drinking a glass of red liquid – blood. She went over to him slowly, watching him for the fracture of a moment. "Stefan?"

He turned around to look at her, a small smile crossing his lips. "Caroline. I didn't know you were here."

"Yes, well... Elena and I had to do some last-minute packing for tomorrow."

Stefan only nodded and took another sip from his glass. "You'll be leaving for College tomorrow." he said, more to himself than to Caroline, though. She wondered how he was feeling. If he was, deep down, maybe even happy that Elena would be at College from now on. That she would not spend as much time here where Stefan had to see her so often.

"Do you know what you're going to do on your last night before leaving for College?"

"Well, my mum and I planned to spend the night together. Watch some movies, eat popcorn, stuff like that." Stefan only nodded again before emptying his glass of blood. He went over to her, still smiling slightly. "You could do something much more fun, though. How about going to the Grill? I've heard that there's a party tonight. I think it's for Rebekah because she's leaving for New Orleans."

Rolling his eyes, Stefan added, "But we don't have to pay attention to her, do we? We could just go there, have some fun. Don't mind me, but I think that sounds much better than spending the night with watching movies. Besides, I could use some fun."

For a moment, Caroline regarded Stefan thoughtfully. She had not often seen him like that – wanting to go out, partying. She remembered that one night when Elena had turned off all her feelings, when she had thrown that big party at the boarding house and when Stefan had danced with her. When Caroline had told him to just have fun, to try to forget the pain that way.

Maybe that was what he wanted to do now as well.

And if Caroline could help him mending the pain, she would do anything with Stefan. Besides, partying at The Grill didn't sound too bad. She would have to cancel movie night with her mother, though. But Caroline was sure that her mom wouldn't be that mad at her. It was not like Caroline would be away for that long – College wasn't that far from Mystic Falls.

"Okay. That sounds more fun than movie night, to be honest. I'll just text my mum and than we can go." Caroline said, smiling brightly at Stefan. He smiled at her, too, and for a moment Caroline's heart skipped a beat or two when she saw him smile that way. He looked so much better now, not that sad and broken anymore. Caroline had often wondered why Stefan had come back to Mystic Falls when he had been so determined to leave.

He hadn't told anyone.

After sending a text to her mum, Caroline and Stefan made their way to The Grill. She found herself watching Stefan from time to time, looking for any signs of being heartbroken, of him trying to hide how much he really was suffering.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Caroline?" he asked her all of a sudden and Caroline swallowed hard. She had hoped that he hadn't noticed her looking. But of course he had, even without having to look at her.

"I just... I was wondering..."

"What were you wondering?"

Caroline struggled for words. She was relieved when someone approached them as they got closer to The Grill – it was Rebekah, of all people. But right now Caroline was almost happy to see her. She didn't want to tell Stefan why she had been looking at him, that she was concerned about him and that she was wondering when he would break down.

"Rebekah." Stefan looked at her, smiling sarcastically. "I would say that I'm going to miss you, but... I'm not so sure about that."

Rebekah smiled at him just as sarcastically before turning back to Caroline. "Even though I would not want to have you with us in New Orleans, I still know that my brother would want me to ask you. He doesn't deserve me asking you, but still. You sure you don't want to come to New Orleans? I know that Nik has asked you."

"Then you surely know that I have declined. I can't wait until the last one of you Originals is gone for good. I don't want to go to New Orleans. And I sure as hell don't want to be anywhere where Klaus is."

Caroline remembered him meeting her on the night of her Graduation. He had told her that he intended to be her last love, the love that would last forever. Caroline couldn't deny that his words had been touching, a little romantic even. But she just didn't feel the way about Klaus he seemed to be feeling about her. Imagining being with him was... No. It just wasn't even imaginable. Not only because Caroline didn't have feelings for Klaus, but also because he was a ruthless, evil murderer who had violated her and tried to kill her. Multiple times.

She could never be with someone like that.

"I thought that you would say that. Anyway, I'm rather surprised that you would come to my party tonight." Rebekah said, regarding them warily, as if she expected them to ruin her little party.

"Came for the free drinks, stayed for my beautiful company." Stefan said, before smiling at Caroline and offering her his arm. Surprised, but grinning at the same time, she took it and let Stefan lead her inside The Grill. They left Rebekah standing outside.

"You came for the free drinks, huh?" She looked at him and couldn't help a grin spreading across her face. Stefan smiled lightly. He didn't even seem like someone who was heartbroken. Caroline wondered how good of an actor he really was.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked, pointing at the dance floor.

For a moment, Caroline hesitated, wondering if she should really dance with Stefan. She wasn't sure what it was or if, maybe, she was just imagining it, but there seemed to be something off about him. Even if he tried to get his mind off Elena, he still seemed... _different_.

Trying to push that thought away – she surely was just being paranoid – Caroline smiled at Stefan before saying, "Get ready to let the dance floor burst into flames, Salvatore."

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**What did you think of the first chapter?**

**Please leave a review! I want to know what you are thinking. Plus it's encouraging to continue writing if I get some reviews.**


	2. Smell of Blood

Thank you so much for your reviews! I decided to put the next chapter online very, _very _soon because I was just too excited about it. I hope that you'll like it and that everyone of you who reads this story would take the time to leave a review. That would mean so much to me.**  
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**Chapter 2 » Smell of Blood  
**They did let the dance floor burst into flames – not literally, of course, but Stefan whirled Caroline around and even though she hadn't felt nauseous ever since she had become a vampire, she almost felt nauseous now. But it was a good feeling. Stefan laughed and she felt that he really was having fun. That he didn't just pretend. It was good to know that she managed to make him feel this good, to take his mind off Elena.

After they had danced to a couple of cheesy pop songs (which, admittedly, Caroline liked quite a lot) they went over to the bar to get something to drink. "You know," she said and looked at Stefan, "I have once sang here up on the stage."

Stefan looked at her, surprised. "Really? When was that?"

"Well, Bonnie, Elena and I were here at the Grill, this band was playing and it was when Matt and I were broken up and I'd wanted to win him back so badly. So I just went up the stage and compelled the singer to let me sin a song and be my back up. I sang _Eternal Flame_. Matt and I got back together after that..." For a moment, Caroline stared thoughtfully into nothingness before looking up to Stefan again.

"To be honest, it was quite cheesy. And Matt and I broke up again almost immediately."

"Well, it might be cheesy. I would never sing in front of people. But that might be because I cannot sing at all. I wouldn't impress anyone with my singing. They would simply run away. But I regret that I wasn't here that night. I would have loved to hear you sing."

Laughing, Caroline shook her head. "It's not that good anyway. And if you'll be nice, I might sing you a song someday."

"I'm always nice." he said, pretending to be shocked. "Am I not?"

"Well. Okay, you are. Most of the time anyway. But you haven't been quite trusting in me lately."

Stefan frowned at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You've never even told me why you chose to come back to Mystic Falls. You were so determined to get away after... after Elena decided against you. Don't get me wrong. I'm happy that you came back. Mystic Falls simply isn't the same without you, Stefan. But I thought that you wanted to get away, that you couldn't bear being close to Elena when... well, when she's with Damon. What made you turn around and come back to Mystic Falls?"

Stefan cleared his throat. He looked away from Caroline, taking a large gulp of his Vodka Tonic. At first she thought that he wouldn't answer her question, that he simply didn't want to talk about it. But eventually he looked back at her, taking a deep breath. "I wanted to go. I was out of Mystic Falls already, on the Highway, when suddenly I thought... _Why _should I even leave? Mystic Falls is my home. It's true that the most important person in my life used to be Elena. And... it does hurt, seeing how happy she is... With my brother."

Swallowing hard, he stared down at the bar. Caroline wanted to reach out to him, to take his hand, to comfort him somehow. But she didn't because she was not sure if Stefan would even want her touching him.

"But I realized that I wasn't happy here just because of Elena. I had found friends here. Mystic Falls was my home when I was still human. And when I came back here... I simply wanted to be back, to be home again. And I couldn't let myself be driven away from my home just because the girl I love chose another man over me. Even if it's my brother. And it's not just that Mystic Falls is my home."

Stefan looked at her again, so intently that Caroline couldn't look away from him. For a moment their eyes locked, her blue ones meeting his gray ones. Never before had Caroline realized how intensive his eyes were, how easy it was to lose oneself in them.

"I have found friends here. Unlike Damon, I haven't spend my time making enemies. I have found myself a new family. And you know what, Caroline?" He smiled at her now. "You are one of the best friends I have made here. I know that I haven't showed it that much lately, but I'm glad to have you in my life. To have you as a friend. And I realize that you were concerned for me but you don't need to be. I manage."

Caroline looked at him for a moment in silence, before taking a deep breath. "But it does hurt you, doesn't it? I know that you're trying to act like you don't care, but you do. It hurts. That you've lost Elena like that..."

"I would rather not talk about Elena more than we already have. We were here to have fun, weren't we?"

"Well... Yes. We wanted to have fun." Though Caroline wondered how much fun Stefan was really having. Of course she could understand why he would want to distract himself. Still Caroline was worried about Stefan. He couldn't push the thought of Elena away forever. He couldn't suppress his suffering, the pain he was feeling.

But Caroline also knew how it felt to have one's heart broken. Her heart had been broken too many times to know how it felt, how badly one wanted to _not _having to feel the pain. In the end, though, the pain would always find its way back and it would be even worse. But she couldn't force Stefan do deal with what he was feeling.

She could only try to be there for him when he needed her.

"I need to... get some fresh air." Stefan said all of a sudden. Caroline had been too lost in her thoughts to notice the way he had looked around himself, watching the people in the Grill. Watching how a woman had walked out of the Grill, following her with his eyes.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Caroline asked him, frowning. "I thought that you wanted to have fun..."

"We'll dance again when I come back. It won't take long. Just wait here for me, okay?" Stefan smiled at her once more and before she could protest any further, he had already got up from his seat and walked towards the exit. Still confused and frowning, Caroline looked after him, wondering what had suddenly gotten into Stefan.

Maybe that was his way of dealing with the pain. Maybe he simply didn't want anyone to see.

Sighing, Caroline emptied her glass of Vodka Tonic in one single gulp, wondering if she should follow him. She didn't want to make him feel like she was being intrusive. But Caroline was just concerned for Stefan.

_Okay. I'll wait 5 minutes. Or 10. Okay. 10 minutes. If he doesn't return after 10 minutes, I'll go looking for him._

In the end, Caroline had managed to wait for Stefan for exactly 4 minutes and 38 seconds. But that was more than enough waiting. She needed to know what was going on, what Stefan was up to. Caroline didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling. And whenever she had a bad feeling, it hadn't let her down most of the time. She didn't know exactly what it was her intuition was trying to tell her, but Caroline felt like Stefan might be in trouble.

Taking a deep breath, she got up from her chair and walked out of The Grill. When she was outside, Caroline couldn't find Stefan at first. He was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, she took a few steps down the street, looking for him.

Where was he? Where could he have gone all of a sudden?

That was when it hit her. A smell she would recognize everywhere, always. A smell that haunted her – that would haunt her forever.

The smell of blood.

"Stefan..." Caroline whispered, following the smell immediately. She turned around a corner and that was when she saw him. Stefan stood in an alley, pressing a girl against a wall. He had ripped open her throat, drinking her blood in huge gulps. She was hanging limply in his arms. Caroline noticed how pale her skin looked, her eyes were closed... There was no heartbeat to hear...

"Stefan!" she said, almost screaming now.

He turned around, taking a few steps away from the girl who fell to the ground, hitting it hard, and staring at Caroline. Swallowing hard and wiping his blood smeared mouth with his hand, he said, "Caroline... I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to... I... I just wanted..."

"What the hell have you done? You don't drink from the vein! Not anymore!" Caroline rushed over to the girl, feeling for her pulse. But there was none. "She is dead." She looked up to Stefan again, who seemed stunned. And yet there was something about him that was odd. As if he didn't really care. As if he knew that he ought to be shocked by what he had done, but he wasn't really. He looked as if it didn't bother him that he had just killed a girl.

Only once in her life had Caroline ever seen Stefan like that. When Klaus had forced him to turn his feelings off. But she didn't think that this was the case now. Stefan had been completely different than he was now then.

"Come on. We need to get away from here."

Caroline grabbed Stefan's arm and pulled him behind her. She still could not believe what she had just witnessed him doing. Stefan, of all people, going out to lure a girl in an alley to drink her blood... to drink all of it until she was dead... She knew how Stefan often got when it came to blood – how he acted like a _blood junkie_. But he had been in control these past few months. Caroline had thought that he still was.

"How long had this been going now? Have you... have you killed someone before?"

"No." Stefan said. "I've been drinking from humans for a couple of weeks now again, but I had restrained myself from killing them. Well, until tonight at least." There almost seemed to be humor in his voice. Caroline looked at him, shocked.

Who was this walking alongside her?

That person sure as hell couldn't be Stefan. The Stefan she had gotten to know, the man she liked would be devastated over killing an innocent girl. Even if it had happened by accident.

When Stefan noticed Caroline looking at him, he turned to her. "Hey, Caroline – I was just joking. I know I ought to control myself better. But I'm fine. I really am. I am not turning into... well... the Ripper again. I'm just drinking some blood, freshly from the vein, that's all. It's just what I needed after everything that happened. I didn't mean to kill that girl. I just got carried away."

"I... I don't understand... You seem so... so different lately. Like you're not yourself anymore. And after seeing you only now, it's like I'm looking at a complete stranger. It can't be just because of Elena. Just because you're hurt. I want you to tell me what's going on."

Stefan walked closer to her until he was standing right before her, smiling softly. There were still smears of blood around his mouth. He was so close to her, too close. She could feel his body touching hers when he moved only slightly. "I'm fine, Caroline. Completely fine. Everything's okay. I was just having some fun."

"The Stefan I like would never consider killing someone as fun."

"Well, you don't me that well now, do you, Caroline?"

She looked at him, confused and frowning. What was even wrong with him? The way he was looking at her now in that predatory way... She had never seen Stefan looking at anyone like that. Most of all not at her.

And then he kissed her. Caroline couldn't comprehend what was even happening when his arms closed around her waist, pulling her close against him. Kissing her passionately. For a moment she stood there, stunned and shocked. His lips moved fiercely against hers and she could smell the girl's blood on them.

When Caroline composed herself, she pressed her hands against Stefan's chest, pushing him away from her, hard.

"What the hell was that?"

Stefan took a few steps back, grinning at her. "I kissed you. I'm sure you know what a _kiss _is, Caroline, don't you?"

"But why would you kiss me?"

"Well. Let's see... You're pretty, I'm pretty – we could be pretty... _amazing _together. Haven't you been the one to say we wanted to have fun only a few minutes ago when we were at The Grill? So why should we stop now? Now that we could have even more fun."

Caroline stared at him. She felt like she was looking at someone that ought to disgust her – and he did. How he acted, the way he talked... It disgusted her. But that was _Stefan Salvatore_. One of her best friends. She didn't understand what had gotten into him.

First he started drinking from the vein again, now he'd kissed her.

"I will go now. I don't know what's even wrong with you, Stefan, but I do not want you near me anymore. You should think about what you've done. I know that you're hurting, but that's no reason to act like a bastard. I don't even understand why you would... why you would do such things. It's like you're a stranger. Like a stranger is standing in front of me!"

For a moment Stefan looked at her and Caroline thought that she could see something in his eyes. Something she couldn't quite understand. It was as if he was afraid all of a sudden. He composed himself quickly, though, smiling at her again.

"You're silly, Caroline. Ridiculous even. I just wanted to have fun, like I'd said. I thought that you were one to have fun with, but it seems like it's not that way anymore."

"You're disgusting!" Caroline hissed. "What would Elena say if she knew that you tried to kiss me?"

"I didn't try to kiss you, I _did_ kiss you. And I don't care what Elena would say."

Caroline looked at Stefan for a long moment in stunned silence, shaking her head slightly. "Just... just leave me alone. You're making me mad."

She rushed past him. All Caroline wanted now was to get away from him, to try to digest what had just happened. The way he was acting... it was so _strange_. Something was completely and utterly wrong about Stefan. And Caroline didn't think that it was just because of his broken heart. Somehow Caroline even suspected that it had nothing to do with it. There was much more. Something he was hiding from all of them.

"I hope you'll have a great first day at College, Caroline!" Stefan was shouting after her and she could almost see his smile, even though she was not looking at him anymore.

She wanted to get home.

There was one thing Caroline knew for sure, though. She would find out what had happened to Stefan. She would find out what was it that had changed him.

And she would make sure to smash whatever it was into pieces.


	3. Drowning

Hey guys!  
Sorry that it took me almost two weeks to update, though I'm quite busy at the moment. School was tough and I'm doing an internship next week, so it'll probably still take me long to update. Writing's been quite slow the past couple of weeks, but I'm still writing. I'll just need more time.

Still, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Things might be a little confusing now, but I promise there's a purpose behind what Silas is doing. Please leave a review as well! It would mean so much to me.

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**Chapter 3 » Drowning  
**_There was water all around her. Filling her lungs, suffocating her... She was drowning over and over again. There was darkness all around her. Darkness and water. She struggled, kicked against the walls holding her in that space, but she couldn't... She could not escape from this place, wherever it was..._

_It felt like it wasn't even her who was drowning. Even though she felt the water filling her lungs, choking her until she lost consciousness just before her body healed itself. Only to experience this horror over and over and over again... A vicious circle that would never end. Caroline somehow knew that it was _not _her who was drowning. That it wasn't her lungs that were being filled with water._

_She could hear his voice._

"_Stefan..." Caroline found herself whispering his name. It felt strange – feeling like she was drowning while feeling like she was not even here in this place, like she was watching from very far away. Still she felt her lungs aching, burning with suffocation... She needed to breathe, to get out of here... And yet she knew that it was not her suffering through this pain._

_It was Stefan._

"_Where are you? What is happening to you? Let me help you."_

_Everything around her became more darker. There was no air in her lungs left, the water seemed to have pressed out the last bit of it... Her lungs, her whole body filled with water, washing through her... It burned like fire..._

_Was this really water? Or was it fire? Could she be possibly burning in hell?_

_Caroline couldn't see Stefan, but she _felt _that he was there. That he was the one being in pain. That he needed her help, that he needed her desperately. And there was nothing Caroline wanted more than to find him. She tried to reach out to him, to take his hands, to pull him out of these waters threatening to take him down even deeper..._

_But she could not reach him. She could not even see him._

_Wherever he was, he was out of her reac._

"_Stefan..."_

_Another voice. Caroline looked around herself, trying to find the person who had been talking. A voice she knew all too well. But everything around her was still too dark to even see anything._

"_What is happening?"_

_There was even more water filling her lungs now. She tried to breathe desperately, but it had become impossible. The water seemed to crush her lungs and even though she knew she would heal eventually, it hurt. It hurt too much. It hurt like hell._

Make it stop. Make the pain stop. Please. Make it stop!

_Screams. Caroline heard a piercing, an ear shattering scream..._

That was when Caroline woke up and realized that _she _was the one screaming. She sucked in large gulps of air before noticing that she wasn't under water, that she was completely fine. Her lungs were not filled with water, she could breathe, she was not drowning...

_But Stefan..._

Caroline didn't know what this dream had even meant. What had even happened in that dream. It was – and that she was certain about – the strangest dream Caroline had ever had. She got out of her bed, still shaking. Had this even been a dream?

Even though Caroline didn't know what had been even happening in that dream, she tried to concentrate, to think about anything that had happened in her dream. She – or Stefan, rather – had been somewhere under water, that was for sure. He'd been drowning, over and over again. Shuddering, she remembered how it had felt. Suffocating and losing consciousness just before waking up again, completely healed, to suffer through this immense pain all over again.

Taking a deep breath, Caroline glanced at the watch. She had to get ready. Elena would be here in half an hour and they would drive to University together. Their first day of College. Caroline had almost forgotten all about it because she could only think about Stefan and what he had to endure...

But it didn't even make any sense. Stefan was here, in Mystic Falls. Apart from the way he had acted and behaved last night, he seemed perfectly fine. He sure as hell didn't seem as if he were drowning all the time. Caroline didn't understand what this dream was trying to tell her – or if it even was trying to tell her something. Maybe that Vodka last night had been a little too much for her.

She needed to talk to someone about this dream. She needed to find out what was going on.

That was when her phone rang. Caroline picked it up without even looking who had called. "Hello?"

"Caroline? It's me, Elena."

"Elena. I'm already waiting for you and we need to talk and...-"

"I'm on my way. I've had the strangest dream, Caroline. And I don't think that I can go to College. I can't shake off what I was dreaming about. It was about Stefan... I don't even know how to describe that dream. He was in that dream, this much I know. And he was suffering. He was... in such deep pain... I think he was _drowning_... And he was calling out for me. I don't know what is going on, Caroline, and Damon wouldn't even listen to me, but I think that Stefan's in trouble. We need to find out what happened to him."

For a moment, Caroline was completely still. Shocked. She could not believe what Elena had just told her. And – that was the strangest of all – she felt a little sting in her chest when she realized that Elena had dreamed the exact same thing as she had.

But why would it even be _her_? Why would she be dreaming about Stefan if he actually was in trouble?

After all, Elena and Stefan were the ones who shared this unbreakable bond of epic love and romance and fate. She was supposed to be the one to have a psychotic bond with Stefan, something that would connect them even if they were apart. Stefan was nothing more than an amazing friend to her. She shouldn't be the one dreaming about him being in danger.

And yet it felt weird, knowing that Elena had dreamed about Stefan drowning, too.

"Caroline? Are you still there?"

Elena's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Caroline tried to push these thoughts away. They weren't helping now. "I've dreamed the same thing, Elena. I don't even know how this is possible or why I've dreamed it... But I had the same dream. And when I woke up, I wasn't sure what to make of it, what to even think. But after learning what you've dreamed last night... Yeah. We need to find Stefan. We need to find out what is going on. _Fast_."

Elena seemed relieved that Caroline was on her side in this matter, though she didn't respond. "I'm at your house now."

At once Caroline was at her door, letting Elena inside the house. Her best friend looked at her, skeptically and worried at the same time. "So... You've had the same dream about Stefan? You've dreamed that he was drowning? And that... that he needed help?"

"Yes. I did. I don't know how this is possible, Elena. Like I said. I mean... I was out with Stefan last night and all of us know that he is here, in Mystic Falls, and that he can't be anywhere else, drowning."

"Wait... You were out with Stefan last night?" Elena asked, frowning. Caroline bit her lip before looking at Elena again, holding her hands up. "Just as friends. He... he wanted some distraction and..." Of course both of them knew _why _Stefan was in need of distraction in the first place at the moment. Though Caroline decided not to tell Elena about how strange Stefan had behaved last night. She seemed freaked out enough already. And Caroline couldn't shake off the feeling that Elena did not like that they both had dreamed the same.

"I don't understand. Where could that place we've seen in our dream even be? And what does it mean?" Elena said, starting to pace around the room. "I don't think that we can go to College today, Caroline. I... I don't think that I would be able to concentrate on anything right now."

"Of course we won't go. We need to find out what happened. College can wait now."

Even though Caroline wasn't so sure if they could still attend College if they didn't show up today. What should they even say? _Sorry for not showing up on the first day, but my best friend's ex-boyfriend she might still be very much in love with and my sort-of-best-friend who tried to kiss me the night before was in trouble. Well, at least we think he was – or still is. We dreamed about it. Oh, and by the way, we're all vampires._

Nope. That would definitely not work.

Elena brushed a hand through her dark hair before turning to Caroline again. "What do you think we should do? Should we just... talk to Stefan about that dream?"

After the way Stefan had acted last night, Caroline wondered if he even still _was _Stefan. The Stefan all of them knew and loved. But how could this be even possible? How could Stefan be in two places at the same time?

"Maybe I should talk to him." she said at last.

"But... Caroline..."

"I don't think that he wants to talk to you. I'm sorry, Elena. I know that you're freaked out. And I know that you're worried about Stefan. I am, too. But he had barely talked to you at all these past few weeks. Why should he now?"

"But this is different now! He's in some kind of trouble. I mean... I don't understand that thing about him drowning. But maybe it's... it's a metaphor or something. There is something that is threatening him, something that might even kill him. And I can't just leave it like that. I can't just... try to forget about that dream. It felt so real. It was like I was drowning myself. And I am the one who should talk to Stefan. I am the one who should be there for him now, help him through whatever it is that might be threatening him."

Caroline looked at her best friend sympathetically, taking a deep breath. "I really don't think that you should, Elena. You have chosen Damon over him. Stefan's brother. You fell in love with his brother. You... you hurt him. I know that you didn't do any of this intentionally. But he's still hurt. I don't think that he would open up to you."

Elena stared at her for a long moment, seemingly not sure what to say to that. Caroline could understand that – she even felt sorry for Elena. But after everything that had happened between her and Stefan, after everything she had _done _to Stefan... Caroline was not so sure if it would be right for Elena to try to comfort him.

But what if Stefan really was in danger? What if he might need Elena's help? And hers?

Caroline felt like her head was going to explode. She did not understand what was going on. _Not at all_.

"What are you trying to do here, Caroline? You can't just keep me out of this! Especially since neither you, nor I know anything about what is even happening! What do you think you're doing? Do you think that somehow, just because we both dreamed the same thing, you have some kind of _connection _to Stefan?"

"No... Elena... It's not that... I just mean..."

"You know what? I will find out what has happened myself! I don't need your help. It's fine. I don't even understand what it is you think you're going to achieve with this." With that, Elena turned around, going back to the door.

"Elena, please. I didn't mean for you to be mad at me! And it's not that I think that Stefan and I have some connection. It's just that I don't think that he will tell you anything and besides... if Stefan is in danger, why wouldn't he just tell us?" Once again Caroline thought about how different, how weird Stefan had acted last night. Maybe they shouldn't tell him about their dreams at all.

But Elena was not listening anymore. "I'm out of here."

"But what about College?"

"Well, you yourself said that it doesn't matter right now, didn't you?" Elena snapped before slamming the door shut behind her.

Sighing, Caroline leaned against the wall, shaking her head. She hadn't want to fight with Elena. She didn't even know what was even going on with herself. What she was even thinking.

That dream had felt so real, so vivid. Whatever was happening, she knew one thing for sure. Something had happened to Stefan. Something was tremendously wrong with him. And she needed to find out what it was.

Maybe she had done Elena wrong. Of course she would be worried. Of course she would want to know what happened. Of course she would want to talk to Stefan about that dream.

That was when she heard a knock on her door.

Rushing to the door, she opened it, already saying, "I'm sorry, Elena. I totally didn't mean to...-"

She looked up in surprise. It was not Elena standing on the threshold.

It was Stefan. Smiling at her, almost shyly. And yet there still was something off about him. There was this smug expression to him. Like he was mocking her.

"Caroline. I'm glad you didn't leave yet."

Taking a deep breath, he said, "We need to talk about what happened last night."


End file.
